Measurement of acidic aerosol species in Eastern Europe : implications for air pollution epidemiology

A large number of studies have indicated associations between particulate air pollution and adverse health outcomes. Wintertime air pollution in particular has been associated with increased mortality. Identification of causal constituents of inhalable particulate matter has been elusive, although one candidate has been the acidity of the aerosol. Here we report measurements of acidic aerosol species made for approximately 1.5 years in Erfurt, Germany, and Sokolov, Czech Republic. In both locations, the burning of high-sulfur coal is the primary source of ambient air pollution. Twenty-four-hour average measurements were made for PM₁₀,[particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter (da) ≤10 ㎛], as well as fine particle(da) 585 μg/m³) and PM₁₀ (mean concentration of 60 μg m³) concentrations were quite high. However, aerosol SO²-/₄ concentrations (mean concentration of approximately 10 μg/m³) were not as great as expected given the high SO₂ concentrations, and acidity was very low (mean concentration of